The Jetties of Fort Lauderdale
I had the opportunity to shoot a wonderful athletic model this weekend at the north jetties of Fort Lauderdale. This was my first time shooting at the jetties and also my first time working with Jennifer. It took me a while to find the place, but I was able to find metered public parking near 2000 S. Ocean Dr. There are only about a dozen spots along the road.
Jennifer had never been to the jetties either, so we messaged back and forth since it's tricky to find. To make matters worse, there was a huge rainstorm coming from the west, so I was a little worried that she would chicken out. Thankfully she didn't, and neither did I. It's just a little rain, and my gear is somewhat weather-resistance...I think.
Once Jennifer arrived we walked over, with umbrella in hand, to find the beach access path...it's kinda hidden. The whole area is mostly private residences so it wasn't apparent where we needed to go, but the GPS said it's right over there behind these condos! Luckily, one of the parking guards directed us (well, Jennifer) to where the public access path was, literally right in front of us with signs and everything, and boom we were on the beach!
Jennifer is a great model to work with, has beautiful skin, looks younger than she actually is, and has a delightful mix of heritages including Caribbean, Central American, and Asian. She later mentioned that her mom kinda looks like me...maybe it's time for me to get a haircut, lol.
The jetties is a great spot for photography. Within a small area there are several different backgrounds and scenes to choose from. The long straight pathway to the beach is itself very picturesque with a lovely shade tree and some bougainvilleas. The beach itself was clean and uncrowded, I think there was less than 10 people on the whole beach during our 2-hour shoot. Over by the rocks was a lone fisherman, and a family with two little girls wearing pink swimsuits played in the shade against the white walls near one of the condos. Boats and ferries went back and forth and we could even see a large cruise ship. Palm trees dotted the area, too.
It was still raining but we decided to go for it anyway and started on the rocks. It's rare to find rocks on Florida beaches, and the grey rainy sky actually paired well with the rocks and Jennifer's black and grey fitness apparel. It's actually a photography style that I've wanted to develop for awhile but in Florida most of the scenery is bright and vibrant. We tried several different fitness and yoga poses, at times to rain came down harder but eventually subsided, stopped altogether, and the sun came out along with the mugginess.
In the end it was a very successful shoot and I was thrilled with the results and variety of looks we achieved. Jennifer was great to work with, and I look forward to working with her again.
